


Love like you

by Creatornottraitor



Series: Songfics [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Bullying, Eventual Fluff, M/M, Now all I need if for him to be happy, Past Child Abuse, Past Suicide Attempt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Songfic, Stop Ishimaru abuse 2019, Suicide, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-18 05:11:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20633636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Creatornottraitor/pseuds/Creatornottraitor
Summary: They love each other, but neither will admit it. One has a reputation of being tough, of a hard exterior to uphold, the other, "too busy" to admit his feelings. They both think the other is better, one is even under the belief that the other one is perfect.Or:I mess up my favorite character's life





	1. Chapter 1

*Mondo Oowada*

_"I always thought I might be bad, no I'm sure that it's true_

_'cause I think your so good, and I'm nothing like you."_

In detention, Mondo couldn't help but look at him. Every so often, the hall monster would look up, survey the room for any disturbances, then go back yo taking notes. Even when Leon flung a pencil at him, the biker gang leader never looked away from him. How can he do it? He'd seen how people treat him, tease him, mock him. He stands against it all. Every so often, he'd come into the detention room and start crying, or banging his head on the table. Those days, Mondo just wanted to hold him. He would never do that. He had carefully hidden his sexuality, and wasn't gonna throw all of that effort away on a whim. Still, a huge chunk of him liked the boy sitting at the desk ahead of him, his ruby eyes flicking back and forth across the page. Suddenly, Taka got out of seat. " You are both free to go. I _hope_ you have learned your lesson this time.". Mondo walked out the door, and realized that Taka had never left. He waited there, causually leaning against the door. He heard crying, and Taka scream, presumably at himself, " This is why no one likes you! You ruin everything! How can you be so stupid! They hate you because YOU NEVER CHANGE! You will always be like this! You will never be great! He doesn't even like you, you imbecile!". The outburst was followed by banging, then footsteps towards the door. Mondo almost fell into him when he opened the door. " Mondo!". "Oh, sorry! You just sounded upset, so I decided-". "It's fine. I'm fine. Goodbye". He walked away, his shoulders slumped, books in his arms. Mondo followed him for a bit, but Taka just went into his room. Mondo hoped he was ok.


	2. Chapter 2

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"Look at you go, I just adore you, and I wish that I knew,_

_What makes you think I'm so special."_

He sat on the floor, crying. Today was a horrible day. There was nothing that made it stand out, besides one thing. Someone had lit his family photo on fire, stamped it out and slid it under his door, along with a note. They all hated him. He loved the academy, he loved the opportunity, and he loved how happy his parents were. The burned-up photo was of him and his parents on the first day of school here. His face was now burned out, leaving two smiling faces. He put down the photo, and got up. He went over to his bed, and laid down. He remembered how Mondo had waited by the door, and was worried about his outburst. He had given Taka so much praise, always been on his side. He could feel himself yearning for the biker, wanting him to speak to him just one more time. One of these days Kiyotaka will walk up to Mondo Oowada, and admit his feelings. Mondo had so much confidence, and so much honour. Why would someone that much more....self-confident appreciate some one like him? His eyes were tired from crying, and it was almost 10 o clock. Kiyotaka drifted off into a restless sleep, punctuated by a nightmare of being burned alive.


	3. Chapter 3

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"If I could begin to be, half of what you think of me,_

_I could do about anything,_

_I could even learn how to love."_

__

He honestly look way more tired than usual, and Kirumi noticed. She had been helping Ishimaru for a while now, mostly because their political views lined up. Taka seemed distant, barely awake. " Good morning, Kiyotaka. How are you?". " Oh? I'm fine, thank you Kirumi. I'm just very tired.". " Would you like me to talk the Tsumiki to see if she has some sleep medication? I have noticed that you look very tired in the morning. Could that help?". " Actually, yes. That sounds great. Oh, Kirumi, could you do me another small favor?". " Of course! What do you need?". He pulled a letter out of his pocket. "Mondo Oowada" was carefully written on the envelope. " May you please deliver this? I'm a bit busy, so I can't do it myself.". "Of course! I will do so right away.". " Thank you very much, Kirumi. Oh, and please don't worry about talking to Mikan. I will do that myself.". " Alright. Goodbye, Kiyotaka. Have a good day.". " You as well.". Kirumi walked off, and Ishimaru sighed. He wanted to sleep for the day, but he couldn't. He had work to do. He felt a little better until he walked past the clique know as the "Despair Gang". It was headed by Junko Enoshima, and her sister Mukuro. Their seemingly favourite past time was breaking down students, so that they felt despair, hence the name. Junko was sitting on a chair, sucking on a lollipop. She popped it out of her mouth and snickered. " Hey, look! It's the fake-o teacher's pet! Wow, he is strict. Look at that walk.". He looked at the floor and tried to ignore her. It didn't work. " I think that he's gonna turn out like every Ishimaru. A failure. I mean, he's got no social skills. He dosen't even address the queen when she graces him with acknolegements.". Tears started to leak out of his eyes, but he couldn't run away. Even in this situation, he couldn't break the rules. He began to cry, sobs racking his body. " Oh, waa-waa. Is the baby gonna cry until Mommy makes him feel better? News flash:She's not here. You can't cry your way out of everything. Mukuro, bring him here. I wanna see his pathetic little face.". Mukuro did as her sister said, dragging Ishimaru towards her. She leaned down and flicked his nose, which was running like crazy. Tsmugi chimed in, " He dosen't look very hall monitor-y. He looks like a mess.". Junko just smiled at him. It reminded him of the Cheshire cat. " Let him go. We will probably see him later, anyway." He started speed walking away as soon as Mukuro let go of him. No sooner had he done that, than did he run into his crush, Mondo Oowada.


	4. Chapter 4

*Mondo Oowada*

_"When I see the way you look,_

_Shaken by how long it took,_

_I could do about anything,_

_I could even learn how to love like you."_

He was just chilling with his friends when he got Taka's letter. " Whatcha got there, Moondo?". "It's a letter.". " From who?". " I don't know, churro. Let's find out.". He opened the letter, and carefully read the contents. It was... A love letter. From the guy he had admired for so. Fucking. Long. He rubbed his eyes, and turned to Leon. " Loen, I need you to pinch me.". " Why? Wait, who wrote the letter. *Gasp* Is it a love letter?". " Ohmygod! Is it? Who's it from?". Mondo choked on the name, worried about the reaction he might get. " Ishimaru. He's my crush.". " Well, it's great! He likes you,obviously, and you like him!". " And, since we are such good friends, I'll break the nose of anyone who makes fun of you. Fair?". " Thanks you guys. Welp, I guess I should tell him that I like him back, shouldn't I?". He got up from he table, and swung his coat on. " Wish me luck.". He walked into the hallway, and looked around. He saw someone walk out of the despair hallway. That's the one the clique likes to hang out in. He went over, and saw Taka crying, trembling like a leaf. " Are you ok?". Taka jumped back, then unclenched a bit when he saw that it was Mondo. " I-I'm fine. Just-t tired is all.", he spotted the letter in Mondo's hand," you got it? Uhh, I-". Mondo cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips. He smiled warmly at the smaller boy, who was now just barely crying. " I....like you to. You have a lot of guts to say it first. Probably more than me.". "But, you are so confident and strong..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be changing the song quotes to different songs soon, A:Because I'm running out of lines, and B:I am running out of inspiration from those afore mentioned lines.  
Thank you for all of the positive feedback, and thank you amm1, for liking quite a bit of my works. You, and everyone else, keep my writing wheels Turing,mand my self-esteem as a write up. Merci!


	5. Chapter 5

*Mondo Oowada*

_"I want to hide the truth,_

_I want to shelter you, _

_but with the beast inside_

_There's nowhere we can hide"_

"S-strong? No.....no you're wrong. Strong got my brother killed. Strong is a word I hide behind. I can't lie anymore...". " What do you mean by that?". " IT'S MY GODDAMNED FAULT MY BROTHER'S DEAD, OK! I should never have challenged him....god, that's the reason I admire you. So strong-willed....so perfect. You don't make mistakes, while my life pretty much is one.". " What do you mean by you getting your brother killed? Surely it must have been an accident.". " On the day of my brother's retirement, I got jealous and challenged him to a race. I wasn't paying attention, and went in front of a truck. Then....Daiya.....he pushed me out of the way. He died that day, and it was all my fault. The worst part, I lied to the rest of the gang about it. They don't know.". Ishimaru waited for him to calm down a bit before he spoke. " Your brother sounds like he was a brave man, but his death isn't your fault. He obviously chose to save you. He could've easily let you die, but he didn't.". " Yeah, you're right. God what are you, some sort of genius? I couldn't think like that, even when the problem was my own!". Taka's eyebrows furrowed. " Please don't call me a genius. It's a bit...degrading my opinion.". " What makes you say that?". " My grandfather was prime minister once. He was hailed as a genius, even went to this school. He didn't know how to work hard, and so his empire fell. That's why I dislike being called a genius.". " Ok, I'll not call you a genius, and you never use the word strong to describe me again, deal?". Mondo stretched out his hand, and Ishimaru took it in a hearty handshake. " Deal!". Mondo felt much better. He had told someone that he trusted wholeheartedly his secret, and at this point didn't care if it got out. Oh, yeah, and the boy he'd been pining after confessed his love to him. " Can I call you my brother? It....makes me feel as if we're closer, ya know.". " Of course! And thank you, Mondo. Hearing you open up like this is just great. I'm also glad we feel the same way towards each other.". " Me too!". 


	6. Chapter 6

*Mondo Oowada*

_"We could think about lies that we told in the past,_

_We could think about hurt feelings, and how long they can last._

_Or we can think about hope, you know I've been hoping,_

_That everything's better now everything's out in the open."_

"Crap.". " What's wrong?". " I gotta go, Leon and Chihiro will be leaving soon, and I gotta talk to them. Ummm, meet me in the lunchroom, ok?". " Sounds good, bro". " K, see ya". Mondo picked up speed as soon as he lost sight of Taka. He ran into the spacious cafeteria, where Chihiro was just packing up, and Leon was just kind of standing there. " Guys, I have something to tell you". He explained the entire story to them. Neither of them were very impressed, but you could tell that neither of them hated Mondo for it. "Jesus, Mondo. You could've told us any sooner?". " I'm sorry. I...uhh..I don't know why." Chihiro picked up their pencil. " I forgive you, Mondo. It's ok.". " Thanks, churro.". Leon sighed. " I forgive you too. Just next time, you know we won't hate you, so just tell us! We're friends! Ok!". " Thanks, Loen. Means a lot.". He wrapped the two of them in a big hug. Leon and Chihiro left, leaving Mondo all alone. Suddenly, Ishimaru walked in, scanning the room until he found his...boyfriend? He sat down next to him, gently placing his books on the table. He smiled at Mondo, and then turned to his work. Mondo wrapped an arm around him, and Ishimaru just kind of leaned into him. The stayed like that for quite a bit.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning- self-harm  
Please, If you need help, get it. Don't turn to violence. Stay beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is heavily inspired by "Tears and love letters." by OkKinner. Check it out, it is much better than my crap writing.

*Mondo Oowada*

_"Tape my eyes open to force reality,_

_Why can't you just let eat my weight in glee"_

Ishimaru winced when Mondo held his hand. The biker gang leader turned it over, and remembered that day in detention when the hall monitor had left, and came back looking...injured. Suddenly realization hit him like a train. Even though Taka tried to pull away, Mondo wouldn't budge. He found the spot, red and raised, yet hidden by his hair, where he would bang his head against the desk. He found places on his arms where he had pinched so hard that his fingernails left marks. Then he found those horrible hairline scabs, where the boy had pressed and pressed and pressed until it broke skin. He had seemed so perfect on the outside, but this was..." You can't do this to yourself.". Kiyotaka recoiled, about to get up when Mondo put his hand on the boy's shoulder. " Tell me everything.". " No, It's not fair-". Mondo abruptly cut him off. " I don't give a flying fuck whether it's fair or not! I can help! That's my job! That's my talent. So, spill your guts. Why. Why do you do this to yourself.". Ishimaru turned his head away and sighed. His voice, when it finally came out, was a choked whisper. " They make my life hell. Kaito tries to help, but I can't let him on about this. Every time I walk through the halls, I'm called something horrible. I have no friends, no social life.", here he started to full-on sob, " I need something to keep me from becoming a robot. The worst part, even internally....I'm wrong. There's something wrong with me. There has to be. That's why everyone hates me, right?". Mondo couldn't stand hearing Taka talk like that. He took a second to listen to the teardrops hitting the table, and to rub the smaller boy's back. " Not everyone hates you. Kaito likes you. The small ones like you. Kirumi likes you. Heck, even Maki likes you. And", here he turned the boy to face him, " I love you. And there's nothing you can do about that.". Ishimaru manged a small smile through his tears. " Thank you, Mondo. I love you, too.". " Please, for the love of god, stop hurting yourself. I can't bear to see the marks. Please.". " Ok. I'll try.". " Good". Mondo pulled the boy into a light embrace, and gave him a kiss on the forehead, right on the mark. " Let's go see how Loen and Churro are.". 


	8. Chapter 8

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"Just a little chunk of hope, keeps me going, keeps me going everyday._

_I hope that one day, things will change._

_But a little chunk of hope,_

_Keeps me going, keeps me going everyday."_

Actually seeing the marks brought back horrible memories. Yes, his grandfather had been a " genuis", but that seemed to make him cruel and heartless. His grandfather tried so hard to mold Kiyotaka into a version of himself, so much so that he began mocking him, and later escalated to violence. If his parents were there, he'd pinch and press is fingernails into the boy's skin. If his parents weren't home, however, if he angered his grandfather he'd take the young boy's head and bang it against a table. If his parents asked about the bump, he would just say that he banged against something again. When he was told his grandfather had been assassinated, he wasn't all that sad. He grew up, but everytime he'd get ridiculed in school, he'd excuse himself to pinch his arms until they had red marks all over. Here, though, it was much worse. Last year he started to bang his head on tables, and press his finger nails into his skin. He deserved it. He des- " You ok, bro? You looked zoned out.". Mondo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. " Yes, I'm fine.". Mondo nodded, his pompadour bouncing up and down slightly. Ishimaru suppressed a small laugh. " Hey, bro?". " Yes?". " Do you want to spend the night with me? Ya' know, so we can bond or something?". Taka nodded. " That would be lovely, thank you. For how, I need to go pick up some sleep-aids. I will see you later.". He walked quickly away before Mondo could object. It was a good excuse to be alone for a while. He sat down on the floor, and did a few breathing exercises. He got back up,mand walked over to Tsumiki's lab.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I thought up this chapter while shopping for Christmas presents. I was going to add this into chapter 7, but I couldn't figure out where.

*Mondo Oowada*

_"Lately,I've been, I've been thinking, _

_I want you to be happier, I want you to be happier."_

" I'm serious about what I said earlier, especially the thing where you bang your head on the desk.". They were both sitting on Mondo's bed. Mondo looked genuinely nervous. " I heard that can give you a concussion, or something worse.". The biker started to tear up. He shook his head. "That kind of shit can kill. I can't lose someone else, not again.". The hall monitor look at him, slightly frightened. " Mondo...". "What would your folks think? You die by some sort of head injury, then what? They lose their only son, who I bet dollars to Aoi's favorite donuts they love more than the world, for what? Teasing?". Ishimaru started to cry too, hurt by how true those worsd were. Mondo could sence that, and felt bad. " Look, I sorry, I didn't mean to-". He was cut off by Kiyotaka, " No need to be sorry."


	10. Chapter 10

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"And I've been a fool, and I've been blind,_

_I can never leave my past behind"_

" No, you are completely right! Thank you! I have been being so blind to this! I will stay strong, for them. For you.". Mondo smiled, and Kiyotaka returned it. Then Mondo's face darkened, as he looked to Taka's arms. " Take off your jacket.". Ishimaru was confused, but did as Mondo said, folding up the blazer and putting it on the chair. He went back to the bed. The short-sleeved white shirt showed all of the injuries that he had subjected himself to. He was worried at first, then he saw what Mondo had wanted to do. He pulled the boy up onto his lap, and began softly kissing each bruise, each mark, each indent. Kiyotaka had never felt like this before. With each kiss, Mondo cleared a doubt away. With each kiss, the confidence that was all but drained from him came surging back. When he was done with his arms, Oowada planted a gentle kiss on the bump that worried him so. Kiyotaka paid him back by kissing him on the lips. He felt reborn. Thank goodness it was the weekend, because tomorrow he was going to call his parents and tell them all about it.

But this is not a happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you want a happy, or sad ending? Because I have ideas for both.


	11. Oh boy, time to go over everything before it all goes to heck.

*Amelia/CreatorNotTraitor*

_"Have you ever wondered why we're here_

_What's it all about you've no idea_

_When everywhere you look all you see is hatred, darkness, death and fear"_

Hi! It's me, the writer of this Fanwork! This story can get really dark, and it takes a pretty dark turn before it gets better, so I decided to write a little segment about the story, what it could've been, and the names of the different songs I've used.

Summary:

Ishimaru gets bullied, and Mondo is haunted by guilt. Taka finally decides to tell Mondo his feelings, while being super sad. Mondo is like, woah, he likes me too, interesting, until he realizes what Taka is doing.

What it could've been:

It was going to be a theatre story, but that was too hard to write, and I didn't like the premise.

After that, it was going to be a one-chapter story about Mondo leaving a love letter on Kiyotaka's desk during detention ( Taka was bringing Sun-P back to Gundham), and blaming it on a hooded person. Taka gives it to Kyoko and Shuichi, and they find out it was Mondo all along.

Songs I used:

Chapters 1-4: Love like you by Rebecca Sugar

Chapter 5 and 13: Demons, by Imagine Dragons

Chapter 6-Let's only think about love, by Rebecca sugar ( Steven Universe)

Chapter 7-Cradles, by suburban

Chapter 8-Hope, by Jack Stauber

Chapter 9-Happier, by Marshmellow

Chapters 10 and 12-Shake it out, by Florence and the machine

Chapter 11-Don't hug me I'm scared 3

Thank you to everyone who has left kudos

And thank you to OkKinner. Your work is amazing. Keep it up!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning-Attrmpter Suicide

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"I Like to keep my issues strong,_

_It's always darkest before the dawn"_

All he wanted to do was close his eyes and never open them again. Never in a million years would he think something as simple as words could cut him so deep. He began listening to them. You're worthless. Why even try? He felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't properly talked to Mondo in almost a week. They were right, he snapped so easily, like a twig. He shuffled off of his bed, and grabbed the note and pills off of his desk. He filled a glass with water, and put that on the bedside table. He then poured out the pills onto the table. He counted them. Two was the proper dosage. There were about ten there. He grabbed four of them. He would sleep for about three hours, his heart slowing until it finally stopped. He had planned this through meticulously, like he always did. He popped the pills in his mouth, and swallowed them with the water. He then laid down on the bed. He could feel himself slipping away into the dark warmth of sleep. " Goodbye". His eyes closed. He had forgotten to lock the door. He missed the knocking, and was already out when the door opened, revealing a concerned Mondo. Upon seeing the scene, he froze. It was too similar.


	13. Chapter 13

*Mondo Oowada*

_"Your eyes, they shine so bright,_

_I wan to save their light._

_I can't escape this now,_

_Unless you show me how."_

He could only stay frozen for so long. He prayed that Taka was still breathing. Thank god he was. He ran out, told as many people as he could. The paramedics came to get him. Mondo rode to the hospital with him. He looked so serious, yet tired. He had horrible flashbacks of his own hospital trip. He had purposefully crashed into a building. He couldn't handle the regret. He had survived, and grown. He could only hope and pray that the boy laying on the bed would too. He stayed with the hall monitor the entire time, making sure he was still breathing, still warm. The school had called his parents. He grimly nodded to them when they came into the hospital room. His father absolutely flipped, trying to wake up his sleeping son. When the doctors shooed him away, he kept screaming for Taka to wake up, open his eyes. His mother was shaking, trying not to cry. Mondo tried to keep his composure. Kiyotaka's mother placed her hand on his shoulder. " Thank you so much. If you weren't there, he would've died.". " Don't speak so soon. I've heard sometime's they don't wake up from this, but I hope to god he does.". The woman nodded. The doctors were doing what they could. Then, after one and a half hours of painful waiting, listening to Kiyotaka's father cry, he opened his beautiful, beautiful ruby eyes. His father ran over, a look of pure relief on his face. He hugged his son as if he let him go he would melt. The poor boy had to stay at the hospital, but none of the three left. They slept in chairs, protecting their little ball of hope.


	14. Chapter 14

*Kiyotaka Ishimaru*

_"How could anything bad ever happen to you,_

_You make a fool of death with your beauty._

_And for a moment,_

_I forget to worry."_

When he was finally allowed back, everyone was worried. Kaito was relived his cousin was safe, and alive. The other two class reps, Kaede and Chiaki, made sure he was warmly welcomed back. He apprieated the sentiments, but he still couldn't really smile, or laugh. When he did, it was sad. Mikan was forbidden from giving him medicine unless someone else had directly ordered it for him. Mondo forced him to stay in the same room as him during the night, which Kiyotaka didn't really mind. He spent most of the day by Mondo's side, felling safer near the biker. He tried his best to steer clear of the mocking, but it still hadn't died down. One night, he was sharing a bed with Mondo, and suddenly clung to him in his sleep. Tears were leaking out of his eyes, and he was quietly whispering " No more. I promise, I'll be better. Don't, please.". Mondo's eyes sleepily ficked open. " You ok, Taka?". He was still sleeping. He pulled his arm tighter around Mondo, his cries less of begging someone to stop, and more and more cries for help. Mondo tried to wake him up, shaking him a bit and yelling. Finally, he opened his eyes. They still had tears leaking out. He took one look at Mondo, apologized, and ran into the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face, and took some deep breaths. He tried his best not to think about the dream, the nightmare, the horrible flashback that had caused this.He sat against the door and tried to calm himself.


	15. Chapter 15

*Mondo Oowada*

_" Third things third_

_Send a prayer to the ones up above,_

_All the hate that you hear turned your spirit to a dove,_

_Your spirit up above."_

When Kiyotaka opened the door again, his face was still red. " I'm sorry for just rushing off like that. I just had nightmare that's all.". Mondo stared at him as he headed to the bed. He seemed in a rush, like he was worried about something. " You want to talk about it?". He shorter of the two shook his head quickly. " No! I'm fine!". Mondo so wanted to believe him, to hold him again, but his gut kept on telling him something was wrong. "I don't think so. Are you sure?". Taka froze up, his eyes growing wide, then settling back to their normal position on his face. He seemed to be processing something, thinking it over. Eventually, his shoulders sagged. "No, I'm not sure. I want to talk, but it would be unfair of me to put something like that on you.". " Stop using that as a fucking excuse! I couldn't care less! I need you to talk to me. I'm here for you.". He wheeled the chair to the bed, and sat down. He stared expectantly at the boy on the bed. He stared back. He opened his mouth a few times, then got up. " Goodbye.". Mondo tried to say something before he left, but Ishimaru closed the door before he could say anything.


	16. You were fooled.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning-Suicide.

*Mondo Oowada*

_"When your dreams all fail,_

_And the ones we hail,_

_are the worst of all,_

_And the blood's run stale"_

Kiyotaka didn't come to class. He wasn't at lunch, and didn't supervise detention. Mondo looked all over for him, asked around. He wasn't anywhere, and no one had seen him. He feared the worst. Finally, he went to check the dorms. Taka's door was locked. He rummaged in his pockets, and grabbed the spare key that Ishimaru had given him. He jammed the key into the lock, and pushed the door open. He couldn't believe his eyes. His bro was...........hanging........from the ceiling............ Mondo ran out of the room. He ran until he could push open a set of doors, and get outside. Hen he ran until he was under the old tree. Taka had loved this place. Had loved. Had. The word bounced around in his mind. Had. Like his brother **had** been the leader of the Crazy Diamonds. Chihiro was taking a walk, and saw their friend. " Mondo! What's up?". Their face darkened after they saw Mondo crying his eyes out. " What happened?". Mondo tried to get the words out, but he couldn't. Instead, he pointed in the direction of the dorms. Suddenly, as if on cue, Kaito ran towards them. " Mondo! Where's Taka? I can't find him anywhere and....". He trailed off after seeing Mondo closely. He went off to go check the room. Chihiro hugged Mondo, and Mondo hugged back. He needed the support. The image of the bedroom played on and on in his head. He couldn't break free. He wanted ****_Taka_, no one else. He didn't care anymore. He let go of Chihiro and walked to his own dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry.


	17. Chapter 17

*Mondo Oowada*

_"So I'll be bold, as well as strong,_

_And use my head alongside my heart."_

He didn't want to see a shrink, because they would just try to fix him into forgetting, but he couldn't let go of the feelings. He was wrong about this one. She was quiet, and her voice sounded caring. How he imagined a mother would sound like. She read over a paper, asking questions as she went along. They were pretty mild, easy questions about his relationships with people, when and how his brother died, his coping mechanisms, and his general emotions. She smiled when she said she see him next time. He felt much better after seeing her, like she was some sort of Fairy Godmother whisking away his troubles. But that feeling only lasted for so long. He went back to his room,which seemed unusually empty. Everything still felt wrong. Mondo knew in his heart he couldn't give up hope. He had to live, to fight to stay strong. Because that's what Taka would've wanted. That's what Daiya would've wanted. He still so wanted to pound the living daylights out of the despair gang, for taking away his Taka. The person that kept him going. The person he had wanted to spend much more time with, if it wasn't cut short. In his testing, he found he was getting stronger. His hurt fueled him. He wouldn't let Taka die in vain.


	18. The last one.

*Mondo Oowada*

_"Like a drum my heart never stops beating for you,_

_And long after you're gone, gone, gone_

_I'll love you long after you're gone, gone, gone."_

Mondo tenderly carried the pictures to the tree. He had gotten permission to make a small memorial for his lost loved ones. First, he set up Daiya's picture. He looked so happy in it. Mondo smiled at the picture as he put down a miniature replica of the special Crazy Diamond leader's motorcycle, and the gang's symbol. Next, he put down Taka's picture. In front of that, he put the love letter, wrapped in plastic so it wouldn't get wrecked, and the band off of his uniform. He stood back and admired his work. Suddenly, his phone pinged. He picked it up. It was a message from Kaede. It was a link to a video of the class reps cheering at a basketball game. His eyes focused in on Taka, on the way his eyes shone with admiration for both sides, how he yelled and jumped and cheered. Tears sprang into his eyes. He typed back a quick thanks, and started to walk off. Then someone caught Mondo's eye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> " They say an Angel can give up it's wings to send another back to Earth. Of course, I don't believe in that kind of thing, do you?"

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Tears & Love Letters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20682920) by [GayKinnie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayKinnie/pseuds/GayKinnie)


End file.
